Red rose Ren
by quondamcrush
Summary: All Pirika wants is a red rose from Ren. I know this may sound yawn yawn but I promise to add in twists. Keep reading and reviewing!
1. Valentine red rose

She had subtly given him hints and clues every day and he still didn't know. She rolled her eyes and squeezed the miserable little rabbit he had given her last year. Ok, not miserable, but still- how many times did she have to say 'It's Valentine's Day today, did you give me what I wanted?' before he knew what she meant? A red rose. The symbol of love. That was so simple! If anyone could get it, why not Ren?

So it was Valentines Day again. She was starting to hate it, if he wouldn't give her a rose. He gave his exes roses. Now he wouldn't give his 'dearest' at present one? She was so angry at the thought of Ren snuggling up to other girls in the past and letting them smell sweet red roses while she smelt- well, a toy rabbit- instead, that she thumped her fists on the bed like a two year old. Time for school now… she wished she could stay and avoid 'His Royal Cuteness' but she couldn't, duh. Today was Valentines Day, and she just might get a Valentine…


	2. the truth

'Hi, Ren!' Pirika greeted, a little too cheerfully. Well, who wouldn't be? She would ramble on about the weather if it weren't a really two-year-old thing to do. He gave her a sideways glance and briefly nodded. She sighed. 'Sooooo… did you get me anything?' she prodded. There was no time like the present to just ask for it. She spied something red in his half- zipped open backpack. Could it be? Excitement bubbled up in her. Oh my gosh, she didn't know what to say! He was pulling it out with a smirk on his face… the very same smirk he gave whenever he was about to surprise someone… She squealed silently. Tao Ren pulled out a heart-shaped Valentine. 'Here,' he said, in a tone no different from just now. Cold and emotionless, as usual.

Pirika wondered if he could hear her heart plunk and see the word 'DISAPPOINTMENT' on her forehead. Years, she had waited, and still … 'Tao Ren, thank you, but – ' she didn't know how to phrase this. ' It's not symbolic enough. I mean, you wrote 'happy Valentines day, Ren', yes, but why didn't you sign off with more … ' she struggled to find a word that would fit in. 'Emotion' was the word she settled on. Ren shrugged. 'What did you want, love, Ren?' he snickered, looking at Pirika, who wasn't at all humoured. 'Well, yeah, why not?' she argued. Boyfriends always said I love you. Didn't they? But perhaps HE was a different case altogether. 'Man, you girls are either always on about love or red roses. ' At this Pirika perked up. He knew? 'But that is just so traditionally boring. Why can't you all be satisfied with a Valentine?' Pirika sank back into the sea of disappointment. No, he didn't know.

But there was still a pinhead of hope. They had a date tonight. And perhaps… who knows? Candlelight, violins, red roses, and heart-shaped balloons… the same old blah blah boring stuff, but she loved it! She waved goodbye to the still grinning Tao Ren and rolled her eyes. Why on Earth was he so … umm. Uh. Oh, yeah. Cute? WHY? She snorted. 'He's not cute,' she chanted, 'he's not cute…'

**Hey people! Thank you for your reviews, no worries, Sky Blue Writer, I won't make it too complicated. And you are all going to kill me, but (squeak) I – have- never- watched – Shaman –King –before! All this is based on my friend (an avid fan)' s descriptions! Please keep reading no matter what! Please…?**


	3. what really happened

Pirika grabbed a beaded necklace and smiled at her reflection, satisfied. 'Tonight will finally end the whole guessing game! I'll get a red rose and everything will be perfect.' She said to herself. Ding Dong! The doorbell. Probably Ren. Ignoring the lovesick, foolish grin on her face, she headed to the main door, her hair let down. She flung the door open excitedly. 'Hi, Ren! 'She squealed. There were just some two-year-old things teenage girls did sometimes, and this was one of them. Then it made her blush and she averted her eyes away from the direction of him. He gave her a small wave, and then they walked to the nearest bus stop. Of course, he had told her in advance that his car had broken down, but she expected a taxi in the least. The walk to the bus stop could hardly be described as romantic- or even friendly. They were like strangers, the frost between them not thawed out.

She decided to make the first move. 'So where are we eating?' she asked, glancing at him sideways. He had his purple hair spiked up as usual, and on his face was the same old expression of cool and calm. 'All you can eat diner,' he said without a tinge of embarrassment. Deep inside, Pirika was going to burst. First, no rose. Then, the bus. After that, an all you can eat diner. No heart .that was what Ren had. She smiled bitterly. Ok, Ren, have it your way. But – she felt like she needed to run away- just like Cinderella. 'Goodbye, Ren.' She whispered, unable to keep her tears from affecting her cracking voice. He looked up, and for the first time since they met each other, she thought he actually looked surprised. But it could have been feigned. 'What? Why?' He WAS shocked. Or wasn't he? The confusion and disappointment made her so angry that she pushed him aside. She stormed back to her house, ran up, flopped onto the bed, and cuddled the rabbit affectionately before realizing it was a reminder of Ren. She tossed it onto the floor.

The next morning, she woke up. Oh, right, it was a Saturday. She walked into the kitchen, greeted by the cool Saturday morning breeze. Hey- her eyes landed on something red peeking from underneath the door. She made her way there cautiously. 'Could have Anthrax,' she thought to herself. Then, ever so gently, she picked it up. A red rose. It seemed redder than a normal one, and red liquid was dripping. What was that? And next to it, a note. A long one, it seemed.

'Dear Pirika,

I'm gone. I dipped the red rose in blood to tell you how much this rose means to me. Not anybody's blood. My blood. My love for you. I always knew you wanted one, Pirika. But the ones I picked would always wilt. But not this one. I know it won't. Because as long as it has my blood on it, it would signify the bond we had. The thorns don't mean a thing. I love you.

Ren'

She allowed her warm tear to drop onto the rose, adding to the love that kept it alive. Then she held it just below her nose, and smelt it. The fragrance that she longed to smell all these years. She laughed bitterly. She got her wish. She smelt a red rose given by Tao Ren. But not with him beside her. Never with him.


	4. did i say Ren died?

**Note to readers: Did I say Ren died? I just said he was gone! Ha-ha… you all thought he was dead? No lah… I won't end it so soon… need more reviews you know!**

**Pirika was depressed. She was still holding the rose. The shock that Ren was gone a few minutes ago still paralyzed her. 'I love you,' she whispered to the rose, still holding it close to her heart. The doorbell rang. She frowned. Who was that? It was still only nine plus in the morning. She unlocked the main door and poked her head out, feeling a little shy in her baby blue Winnie the Pooh pajamas. Her feelings, anger, depression, happiness and all others whirled like a tornado. It was Tao Ren.**

**His hair was still the same, but the purple seemed to shine even more. He was grinning, and it wasn't one meant to poke fun at her. It was that sort of 'Did you miss me?' grin, and Pirika was so breathless she wanted to faint. She thought he had died. She fully opened the door and hugged him. She didn't care if he hated public displays of affection. Right now she wanted to live her dream. To smell the rose, in his warm embrace, and have that once-in-a- lifetime top of the world feeling. She raised the rose to her lips and kissed it gently. Then she held it up to him. 'I love you, Ren,' she mumbled, 'and you can have the rose back.' Tao Ren groaned. 'Why? What a waste of that pig's blood I bought from the market-''PIG'S BLOOD! TAO REN! STAY WHERE YOU ARE!' she yelled to the teen boy who was running away, with a smirk on his face. Tao Ren was back. That was really all that mattered, even if he didn't really sacrifice a single drop of blood for her. She sighed. Maybe next year he'd really do it properly. Maybe… you think?**


End file.
